A Holy Spirit Prompting
Good morning... "I have loved your recent posts," wrote a friend I have known since 2003. "Pictures of the DeShelters made me happy but sad too. Crazy how we hold those feeling so closely. Especially at Easter. Matt (the Director of Contemporary Worship at Northside Church) did Holy Forever on Easter Sunday. That was the song I was playing when I was sitting with my mom when she died last year. It was [...]
Audrey Was Never Alone
Good morning... "Happy Easter," Jennifer DeShelter texted yesterday, sharing a photo taken with her son and husband outside of Northside Church. "Missing our Audrey from last year." (As you likely remember, Audrey went to heaven in June, just ten hours before her 20th birthday.) "I love both of your Easter pictures," I replied. "So many beautiful memories to soothe the sorrows." "I liked today's sermon," Jennifer [...]
Life Incubates In Darkness
Good morning... Today, Holy Saturday, is the final day of Holy Week between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It commemorates the day when the crucified body of Jesus rested in the darkness of the tomb. Many Christians believe that while his body was in the tomb, Jesus’ soul descended into the realm of the dead to liberate those who had died before his coming. Don't be afraid! I am the first, the last, [...]
The Power Of Good Friday
Good morning... Beside the powerful video below, reads one short line: "Originally shown at Passion's Good Friday gathering in Atlanta on April 3, 2015." Two days later, I witnessed the moving short movie in person as it was repeated in the worship service on Sunday, April 5th. Our whole family of six honored the request of our maturing kids (then 20, 18, 16, and 14 years old), and attended Passion City that Easter. [...]
Maundy Thursday’s Moon
Good morning... The full moon this Maundy Thursday shines light on the story of Easter. From Smyrna, Georgia down south to the shores of Kiawah Island, South Carolina and up north to the waters of Blue Ridge to the Vinings area of Atlanta, God's light pierces our darkness. Women in our classes love sharing photos of the moon in all it's glory. Having [...]
We Can Imagine Freedom
Good morning... I very rarely sleep all night long, but this week's Spirit-sparked "birthday cake box" adventure required a huge output of my energy - mentally, physically, and spiritually. I did not blog yesterday, since I slept until 7:45 am when our puppy Cami made her first peep. On Monday, I dropped off our 60 happy treasures to their needed locations, and we took Easter lilies, the kids' homemade cards, and our assembled [...]
Let Them Eat Cake!
Good morning... Just one week ago today, our blog post on my 63rd birthday invited everyone to join us in creating "birthday cake boxes" for thirty senior citizens who live in the Grove Park neighborhood of our city. We were hoping for 30 boxes, 30 boxes filled with a cake mix, frosting, oil and birthday candles. What we received was abundantly more. Jeannine Rollins, the woman who was [...]
We Hear Two Voices
Good morning... "Love this as a reminder from all our conversations," she texted yesterday, sharing the simple chart above. When we feel rushed, pushed, frightened, confused, worried, obsessed, or condemned, it is wise to remember, "This is not the voice of God." Instead, God's voice stills us, leads us, reassures us, enlightens us, encourages us, comforts us, and calms us. This defining distinction makes all the difference. My sheep respond as they hear [...]
Everything Falls Away. . . .
Good morning... As the moonlight waxing on our bathroom floor silently adds more and more and more, I revisit the words we read aloud in class. ****** Excerpt from the introduction to the 25th anniversary edition of Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer A few years ago, I woke up one morning with a line running through my head: "Everything falls away. . . ." The line would not leave me alone, so [...]
Do Not Go Anywhere
Good morning... We began our monthly spiritual growth group with this Thomas Keating quote in mind. "The spiritual journey does not require going anywhere because God is already with us and in us." We can lie in bed, quietly recovering. God is already with us and in us. We can stay home, because it just feels right. God is already with us and in us. We can circle up close with our dear [...]
Abby And Audrey Live On
Good morning... Monday's post (Turning 63, I Share Cake) wed Tuesday's post (Our Souls Last Forever) to birth our blog post for today, this sixth Wednesday in Lent. Happy, happy "birthday cake boxes" have continued to appear at our doorstep all week, boxes we will deliver with Easter cards and flowers for the senior citizens in Grove Park next Monday and Wednesday. Then yesterday, what would have been Abby Smith's 22nd birthday on [...]
Our Souls Last Forever
Good morning... At midnight, every year, I envision getting on my tippy toes and passing my birthday baton to sweet Abby Smith. She was born on March 24th, 2004, that's twenty-two years ago today. At age seven, Abby went to heaven after journeying with cancer for five brave years. A bright light and a beacon of joy, Abby shaped so many of our lives in profound and lasting ways. This year, as I [...]